By Jim Fenton
BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- She has been the dominant women's cross country runner in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference the past two seasons.
Naomi Cass (Westport, Mass.) of Bridgewater State University won the 2023 conference championship by nearly 22 seconds and repeated a year ago by nearly 25 seconds.
Now, Cass returns for the final season of her illustrious career this fall, looking to add to an impressive list of achievements.
Cass leads the way for a BSU team that is picked to finish second in the MASCAC behind five-time champion Westfield State University.
The Bears open the season Saturday morning by taking part in the Suffolk Short Course Classic on the Mark Coogan Cross Country Course in Attleboro, Mass.
This is the first of four meets before the MASCAC Championships in Westfield on Nov. 1.
Cass is the only BSU cross country runner to qualify for the NCAA Division 3 Championships in back-to-back seasons, placing 115th last season after winding up 149th the previous year.
The two-time MASCAC Runner of the Year has earned All-East Region honors two years in a row and finished sixth in the region last season.
"We are hoping that she can just continue to keep improving like she has every year," said Bears coach Christine Kloiber. "The measuring stick is to achieve the same levels she has, which means at least conference championship, top 10 at regionals, qualify for the national championships.
"That's all very, very hard to do, so we don't take it for granted. A lot of things have to fall in line. She's very capable and you have to have good fortune.
"The next piece of it for her is let's take it to the next level. We know she can set some PRs and finish higher in the nationals. We're incredibly optimistic going forward."
Cass played soccer during the fall at Westport High because there was no cross country team. But when she arrived at BSU, Cass switched sports and has also been a standout long distance runner on the track & field teams.
"She loves the sport," said Kloiber. "She's passionate about it. When you're passionate about it, then you do what you need to to do to achieve your goals. She does the right stuff. She knows how to balance her academics. She knows what to do with her body in terms of rest. She's very attentive in practice. She knows what we're trying to achieve.
"If she has questions, she immediately seeks out the coaches so we can support her and guide her. The corroboration is key. We can only take a student so far. She works in that dynamic. That's why she has achieved what she has."
Cass is one of three returning runners from a team that placed second to Westfield State at the MASCAC Championships for a second year in a row.
Also back are graduate student Lisa Jaeger (Halle, Germany) and sophomore Rhea Khanderia (Marlborough, Mass.).
The other runners who should be in the mix include sophomore Olivia Downin (Hudson, Mass.), freshman Olivia Pendleton (Yarmouth, Mass.) and freshman Cheyanne Kelley (Wrentham, Mass.).
"The two Olivias really trained hard over the summer and will be right there," said Kloiber.
The roster also includes sophomore Rhiannon Vos (Marstons Mills, Mass.), who transferred to BSU last semester.
"It's a young team," said Kloiber. "Naomi, obviously, has a certain measure of having a veteran pedigree. She knows a lot and will guide them.
"They are very eager and are listening. It's going to be a good year. They're going to do a fantastic job of setting themselves up for a good season and then for track. I'm really optimistic. We should be able to close the gap between first and second."